W_L

Happy Boxing Day (Hope everyone had a great Christmas)

BL has its merits as a gateway to other things within LGBTQ media and literature, which exist after a search. Why I enjoy The Summer Hiraku Died is partly due to the unique creative direction of Mokumokuren, who identifies as Queer, and you can see it in the story direction. Yoshiki and "Hikaru"/the entity were not meant to showcase BL themes, but rather how two people who are not quite 'normal' develop a bond. Who you are? What you want? are major questions in this story, which opens the provocative concepts native to LGBTQ people. @Topher Lydon The mainstream is dominated by heterosexual interpretations of LGBTQ perspectives, there are stories that explore deeper themes. Don't give up @Ron I would also add Horror to the potential list of genres LGBTQ creators play in beyond merely Comedy. The monster within, perception of alienation, and finding connection with a world unlike the individual are classic themes that tie into LGBTQ stories.

Right now, I am watching the Japanese Queer Horror anime show The Summer Hikaru Died on Netflix, it's quite provocative. Probably one of the better LGBT themed animated shows on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/81948057 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summer_Hikaru_Died# The creator of the anime and manga does not like the label of "BL" on his story, he prefers to consider it "Queer" coming of age story. I think that's a good evaluation of the story and plot, which deal with identity, changing relationships that developed beyond friendship but haven't reached the point of romance (a kind of love without definition). There's heavy subjects like existential topics mixed with light banter of regular teenagers in the spring of their lives. ----- It might take some time to find new stories and series, but don't limit yourselves to BL, either. While I enjoy the light romance and storylines, there's also a lot of up and coming LGBT creators who have branched out beyond BL for expansive genres

Yay, I made it onto #2 in Cozy Romance. Time for folks to kiss the chef

Gone but not forgotten makes me think of Gone from Daylight. Still miss Comicality

Thanks for enjoying the literary feast

Thanks @Seraph28, @Calvin, @peter rietbergen, @andy cannon, and @chris191070 You followed the story to its end and I hope the full course of Dexter and Reese's lives was fulfilling

Love BL drama and a lot of the Taiwanese BL isn't censored thankfully. If you want written versions for Chinese novels equivalent to BL, aka Danmei, there's a decently sized group on reddit with a nice selection of recommendations. The translated danmei stories are pretty good with focuses on romance, devotion, and couple goals.

So, I've written an outline for a new story for 2026. Speculative Fiction, Progression Fantasy, and STEM/Academia Romance It's been 10 years since I wrote 0's and 1's, but I've still gotten occasional fan mail and people asking me to keep writing the sequel novel, which I had abandoned. It was a different time back then so I just don't have the same thought patterns to write the sequel novel, but I would like to play in the speculative fiction subgenre again. I want to combine several subgenres that usually don't mix in a story. One lesson I've learned over the years since 0's and 1's is to write a detailed outline and structure for character arcs in novels.

Life is rarely all joy or all sorrow; it moves with sweet and bitter, like a well-made drink. At fifty-six, Dexter had reached the bottom of his glass. Some would call it too soon. He did not. Years of wine and painkillers in the brutal rhythm of a kitchen had led to cancer; cancer had led to a transplant; the failing transplant now led to a choice. He would not chase another round of treatments. He would finish with intention. By his side, at fifty, Reese was also saying his goodbyes witho

Now four reviews with Chris joining in, thanks guys for reviewing and loving the story. Grateful you guys enjoyed it, like I said, I don't mind it being a low reader count story. For folks who gave it a chance and liked it, it's already worthwhile. Cold war subgenre has been cold in terms of interest by authors for a while, @Altimexis A Summer in Iowa was the only other story in the subgenre within 2 years, but "cold war" was more the era framing for his story than the subject so I tried to craft mine around an actual event. I tried to make it a bit more interesting by changing the framing and perspectives outside US and western contexts.

Thanks Chris

Love is limited to a certain place or time, there's tons of unknown and beautiful love stories out there. Glad you got over your fear of historical background and enjoyed the romance. But based on low readership, I don't think I'll be making a Hallmark movie out of this story any time soon.

Finished all the stories yesterday on my phone, I was just too curious Great stories from everyone! Really enjoyed @BendtedWreath and @chris191070 High School romance, but I am a sucker for gay anime lovers, Raven and Lee reminded me of Hirano and Kagiura manga series, a spinoff of Sasaki to Miyano series. Plus one of the characters was also a high school basketball star. PS: No problem if my story's reader count was a bit low, I guess the unique perspective romance wasn't that attractive. To be fair, I came up with the story within a weekend of the prompt event announcement, it was a story built on a bit of momentary passion that became a frenzied 10K romance. I'm grateful for the readers that I had and the two reviews.

Thanks @Calvin , @Seraph28 , @Modified Cub, and @chris191070 An end-of-life decision is deeply personal and complex. I wanted to make sure the story reflected that, while also showing readers Reese and Dexter lived their best lives with the time they had.

@BendtedWreath It's a unique love story with a different perspective than most people are used. Glad it gave your tissue box a workout @drsawzall Thanks for enjoying the tender moments with these boys, who found a bit of warmth in the frozen-state of conflict between their nations. ----------------- For most readers, I know my story for the Cold War genre is unique and you probably never heard of the event. I'm not surprised, it was a warzone that very few people talk about or even cover in Cold War history, not in Russia, China, or even the West. Despite how friendly China and Russia are now, they were at each other's throats in 1969 after Breshnev asserted his doctrine and invaded Czech People's Republic to centralized Communism under Soviet Union's banner. By the time of Pres. Nixon's trip to China a few years after this skirmish, the Communist world had been firmly split. Writing an epic love story between two teens from the families of military cadres from opposing sides isn't a new concept, I know, but I haven't written star-crossed lovers before. Romeo and Juliet aside, it's a good theme for storytelling and something I wanted to see if I could pull off with my level of skill and in this historical setting.

Lol, fun absurdist comedy. Westerns require a lot of work to feel halfway decent, choosing comedy route was a good idea for someone who isn't familiar with the genre.

Love the romance between Anime lovers, it felt like an ideal high school setting. Also Raven being a basketball jock was great. Very charming story for folks into first loves and teen romance.

Love Raven, you have captured the dream of every gay otaku to find a a cute sempai. As a fellow romance author, you narrated this story very well. Raven and Lee were so cute together. Raven's brother betrayal was cold, but glad you didn't make it a big deal. Being gay isn't a big deal anymore, it's more petty that he outed Raven.

Entertaining story with a bit of magic. Jamie's fate at the end was a good twist.

Fun magical tale with a ritual twist at the end, haha!

A sublime story with a simple idea and deep affection.

Great story for those who enjoy sci-fi, space exploration, unique characters, and different civilization. The adventure was like an old star trek episode at times.

As a Trekkie, I get what you were embracing in this story. The awe of space exploration, finding new worlds and civilizations. Your story reminds me of various sci-fi authors, it's a nice homage to those old tales.

A callback to old classic gay mystery genre that appeals to readers who love hard boiled detectives like Daniel vega. There's a good helping of police codes and local Los Angeles detail that captures a classic noir vibe, fitting for a police procedural. The scenes of wealthy hillside homes and country club contrast with an old police station and a charming dive bar with a genre-based minor characters, who feel like a potential love interest if the author decides to make this a series. Overall a good story worth reading.